A message from Computer and Information Systems: Adobe is discontinuing Creative Cloud Synced Files for business customers, which includes the sync process and file sharing capabilities, starting Feb. 3, 2025. While we're not sure if this service has been enabled for our organization, it’s best to be on the safe side and ensure all PDFs and important files are backed up to OneDrive. After this date, files in any local Creative Cloud files folder will no longer sync with Creative Cloud, and shared files will no longer be accessible to others, even within the organization. If you have any questions or would like help in making sure all the files are safe, please contact us at help@spu.edu or give us a call at 206-281-2982.

Seattle Pacific Art Center Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition by artist May Kytonen. "Field of Belonging" is a collection of works that examine identity, memory, and connection. From embroidered floor plans layered with Chinese lattice designs to wax-resist constellations, each piece serves as a space to explore questions of home, heritage, and belonging. These works act as vessels for ancestral memory, tracing the connections that bind us to place and a sense of belonging.

May will be speaking about her work and exhibition on Tuesday, Jan. 28, at 10 a.m. in the SPU Art Center with a reception to follow. All are invited. 

The exhibit runs through Friday, March 7. SPAC Gallery is located at 3 West Cremona Street and is open Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. or by appointment.

SPU Theatre presents "Anastasia: The Musical," Feb. 7–8 and 14–15 in the E.E. Bach Theatre in McKinley Hall. From Russia to Paris in the 1920s, a young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past while being pursued by a ruthless Soviet officer determined to silence her. All shows are at 7:30 p.m., plus a matinee at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb.15.

A message from the SPU Library: Now you can answer many of your own questions about SPU’s history and people. With a keyword search in Digital Commons @ SPU, you can search the entire digitized print runs of:

• SPU’s student newspapers (1896-2020)
• SPU’s catalogs (1901-2022)
• SPU’s yearbooks (1909-2019)

For example, in a recent request for SBGE Dean Ross Stewart’s retirement party, it took only five minutes to locate a wonderful piece on p. 80 of the 1989 Cascade Yearbook. Happy searching!

On Saturday, Feb. 1, the Faith Formation Project, led by Dr. Katie Douglass, associate professor of educational ministry and practical theology, will partner with Bethany Community Church to host the Thriving Conference. This is open to anyone who has adolescents in their lives and wants to hear from expert speakers and engage in meaningful conversations around important topics. Learn more and register online. Two SPU professors will lead breakout sessions: Keyne Law, associate professor of clinical psychology, will give a  presentation on suicide and Sara Koenig, professor of Biblical studies, will give a presentation on reading Scripture with your kids. If you are a parent of an adolescent or work with teens in some capacity, this will be a great resource for you! Please share widely with your networks.

The SPU Wellness program helps you identify and change unhealthy behaviors with the goal of reducing your risk of illness and rewards you for taking action. To kick start your health in 2025, Human Resources will be hosting two upcoming wellness events on campus. Sign-ups begin Feb. 1. Watch for more information.

Biometric Screenings: Feb. 18–19, 2025
7:30 a.m.–12 p.m.
SPU Ames Library/Seminar Room
Receive a $50 gift card for participating

Swedish Mobile Mammography (ONE DAY ONLY), Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025
7:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
SPU Tiffany Loop/Third Ave W.

Please join Seattle Pacific Seminary for the H. Mark Abbott Lectureship on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 7 p.m., in the First Free Methodist Church sanctuary. The speaker is Dr. Lester Ruth from Duke Divinity School who will present the lecture, “Deepening the Wells to Avoid the Ruts." This lecture will explore ways to deepen your wells of sources to pull from as worship leaders to write and compose for the sake of the church.

Please join Seattle Pacific Seminary for the "Singing the Faith" Conference on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 12 p.m.–8:30 p.m.in Upper Gwinn Commons. This conference celebrates the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed by exploring the relationship between theology and song. Dr. Lester Ruth from Duke Divinity School will be the keynote speaker, accompanied by musician Rachel Wilhelm from United Adoration. There will also be a number of local clergy and practitioners presenting at the conference such as our very own Rev. Dr. Matt Sigler, along with Rev. Dr. Michael Lee and Dr. Robert Gorini from Encounter Church; Aly Quatier from Bethany Community Church–Greenlake; Rev. Brian Moss from Orcas Island Community Church; and Phil Ferrell of Citywalk Music. Lunch and dinner will be included in this event. 

Register online through the Eventbrite page and use the promo code "registerfree" for free registration! For more information, please visit spu.edu/singthefaith.

Do you live on the Eastside and commute across the Highway 520 bridge (or choose to drive around to avoid the toll)? If so, you could be saving as much as $300 a month by joining a vanpool. The vanpool is completely free to SPU employees which means the 520 toll, gas, and campus parking are all covered through the Trip Reduction Program. Part-time riders are also welcomed. The vanpool meets at the South Kirkland Park and Ride, Monday–Friday at 7:05 a.m. for a 7:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. work schedule, which can be flexible if needed. If you’d like to know more, email Lynn Anselmi at lynnnanselmi@spu.edu. Benefits of vanpooling can be found at spu.edu/vanpools.

A research paper co-authored by Jack DeJong, associate professor of finance, was the source for an article in Yahoo!Finance titled, Too Good to Be True? Unpacking the Risks of 'Guaranteed' Retirement Income." The research paper by Jack and John Robinson was titled "Is the Annuity Puzzle Really So Puzzling? An Analysis of the Consumer Lifetime Annuitization Decision in a Low Interest Rate World.” The article was published on Oct. 4, 2024.

A new book with Bloomsbury Academic by Jeff Keuss, professor of Christian ministry, theology and culture, titled Activism and The Literary Self in 20^th and 21^st Century Literature: Poetics of Justice (Bloomsbury; 2025) was just published. The book explores how Shusaku Endo, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Thomas Merton, Marilynne Robinson, Cormac McCarthy, and Octavia E. Butler engage with social justice and activism as writers by foregrounding the place of literature and the role of poetics as both a method and a frame by which justice can not only be understood but uniquely positioned to transform and redeem the moral call on individuals in ways that some recent philosophical and ethical projects do not. The book further examines how these authors are representative of a theme in literature which is the “turn to justice” as a literary form and discusses how these authors' engagement with activism challenges isolated and anxious models of contemporary selfhood.

Geri Mason, associate professor of economics, was quoted in an FE News story about research conducted by SPU and the University of Salford in England in partnership with Data on Demand. The research data highlights that the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the cost-of-living crisis have resulted in the proportion of UK consumer loan applicants seeking subprime loans to cover day-to-day living costs rising significantly from 12% to 32%. FE News is the online news site and digital publishing platform dedicated exclusively to the world of further education, apprenticeship/work-based learning, and employability.  The story, titled "Research highlights the impact of global economic uncertainty on society's vulnerable," was published on Oct. 7, 2024. 

Lyle Olsen, beloved neighborhood barber/stylist, died on Feb, 24, 2024, at the age of 92. Lyle spent 58 years serving the Seattle Pacific community at his shop on 3rd Avenue West across from campus (next to the former Subway).  A memorial service will be held Friday, Feb. 7, at 2 p.m. at First Free Methodist Church with a reception following.

The spring 2015 issue of Response magazine featured Lyle and the SPU students, faculty, and staff he served in an article titled, "College Barber Shop."